Yes, a small amount of sanding of the plastic will do the trick. It is a tight fit but will fit.
A large amount of filing in my case - I used a crappy file, so maybe that's why it took so long. It took way more filing than I expected, but it seems to fit now.
While I'm here, I'd just like to say that I think SunValley did an excellent job with these kits and the manual. It's a pleasure to build. The parts all seem to be good quality - without necessarily being fancy.
While I'm here, I'd just like to say that I think SunValley did an excellent job with these kits and the manual. It's a pleasure to build. The parts all seem to be good quality - without necessarily being fancy.
Update for those that are interested. I examined the power board and examined under a microscope and found no solder bridges are cold solder joints. So, I disassembled the power board removing the resistors in question. I tested the ones I removed and they were 68kohm and 220kohm as spec. So, I went ahead anyway and replaced them the stock sunvalley resistors from the kit. After re-checking values, I soldered them and checked continuity with the traces at their next connection point. I re-checked all solder joints under the microscope and everything looked good. I reassembled the board onto the chassis and wried it up and...got the results. So, I went through this whole process again and replaced every resistor on the board (I know the voltage divider should only require those few resistors). I also checked every other part in the pathway (from the schematic) and they were fine. And...it gave the same 'high' voltage. After another disassembly and check, I forgot to re-attach the HB wire to pin 9 before powering up and when I tested at that location I got 69vdc (aka within tolerance of what I was supposed to get) and every other value was near perfect. So, I finished attaching the wiring and decided to see what would happen with it in my system. Good news - it worked and sounds wonderful. So, I am not sure what to think. The only cartridge I have is MC, so I was listening to it with a Bob's Devices SUT then MM on the Sunvalley. It sounded different from my Manley, but wow it was enjoyable and smooth.
@Bob - I am currently using one of your external SKY 20 SUT with the Sunvalley EQ phono. I am interested in building an internal SKY20 SUT replacement like you have pictured here (to have a one box solution for MM/MC). Would you be willing to share your modifications in the form of a schematic from your SUTs to the Sunvalley MC board? thanks.
I'm done for the day here after checking the test voltages in the completed build. All seems to be correct (I won't say there were no missteps at all) bar one: with a 12 AU7 in V3, instead of the reference voltage of 135 V (±15%) for K3L and K3R (terminals 8 and 3, orange wire), I got 106V for terminal 8 and 122V for terminal 3. Looks like terminal 3 is within range, and 8 is just outside it. Is that a problem - what would I need to check?
After a few weeks with the EQ1616, I just noticed a curious thing with my amplifier. It's a tube integrated with VU meters, and when I set the gain switch of the EQ1616 to ON, the left meter maxes out. I can hear the gain increase when I flick the switch, but hear no imbalance at all between the left and right channels. If I lift the needle off the record, the left meter stays at max.
If I leave gain on, but switch rolloff from FLAT to ON, the left meter returns to normal behaviour. So I hear nothing out of the ordinary in any setting, and metering is no problem in rolloff mode with or without gain. The effect only occurs in FLAT mode with gain on. I've tried the turntable connected to both inputs, and it happens with both. When I have time later on, I'll connect another turntable to see if it happens with that as well.
If I leave gain on, but switch rolloff from FLAT to ON, the left meter returns to normal behaviour. So I hear nothing out of the ordinary in any setting, and metering is no problem in rolloff mode with or without gain. The effect only occurs in FLAT mode with gain on. I've tried the turntable connected to both inputs, and it happens with both. When I have time later on, I'll connect another turntable to see if it happens with that as well.
As an update on the previous comment, I tried this with a different turntable and the problem doesn't occur. So I would assume it's something related to the original turntable rather than the phono pre, though why it happens when gain is switched in I can't guess. As I can't hear the problem, I don't think I need to spend time on it for the moment.
It's a Rek-O-Kut, wooden plinth, but metal top plate of course. Non-captive phono cable, so I can experiment there. Can't remember the grounding arrangement exactly - I'd have to take a look when I'm at home and have some time to haul it out and flip it over. But I am absolutely unable to hear the problem. I hear the expected gain increase on both channels equally, but the left meter maxes out (when the volume's up to a certain level). The right meter behaves normally.